Can You tell how a guitar will sound?

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

How much(if any)indication of tone will You get when playing a pedal steel accoustically.?
I have two steels which sound totally different when unplugged.
They both differ when amplified but I have different pick ups in each.
Best regards
Billy

Michael Douchette · From: Gallatin, TN (deceased)

Generally speaking, if it doesn't have much sustain acoustically, an amp won't help. I usually just rake across the strings. If it doesn't speak much then, it won't speak much later. I can't determine about the tone until I try it.
_________________
Mikey D... H.S.P.
Music hath the charm to soothe a savage beast, but I'd try a 10mm first.

http://www.steelharp.com
http://www.thesessionplayers.com/douchette.html

(other things you can ask about here)
http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o54/Steelharp/

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I rake across the strings unplugged also to see what a steel has. One thing I listen for is as the sounds fade do the overtones cascade upwards or stay stable. If the low sounds fade out faster than the high sounds it tells you that the basic instrument is not happening.
_________________
Bob

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

I have several steels of different makes, including same make of guitar with different pickups, and I do feel their acoustic sounds correspond to their amplified sounds, regardless of pickup type (not to say the pickup has no effect).

Maybe I've been lucky, but I don't think I've ever come across a steel that lacked adequate sustain between the first and twelfth frets. It's when you get up into the high notes that the instrument itself either sustains well acoustically, or doesn't, and as Mikey says, if it doesn't the amp won't help. So in addition to raking across the strings, I'd say an important test is to play, unplugged, some stuff on the high strings at the 17th fret and higher.

Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

My Dad has never had an amp and headphones at a booth.
Believing you should beable to tell like Mike and Bob mentioned.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I bought my Fernandes Strat years ago holding it up to my head and strumming it,The music store owner asked if I'd like to plug it in I said no need for that.Then he said what if the pickups don't sound good I told him that I'll replace them and wrap it up...He's probably still scratching his head,It's the best sounding Strat or copy I've ever owned,Same with Steels,I can tell without an amp.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Brian Kurlychek · From: Maine, USA

Aren't you supposed to pluck the unamplified string and grab the back leg, and then in your best Adam Sandler voice, say, "This one has the tone!"
_________________
We live to play another day.

Jonathan Cullifer · From: Gallatin, TN

I can play one unamplified and tell a lot about the tone. The only part of the guitar you can't hear is the pickup.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Well, IMHO, you'll get some indication, but it's a poor way to judge an instrument we only use in an amplified manner. Small maladjustments and the playing environment itself can play a big part in the acoustic sound.

And besides, if the tone was best measured by listening to an unamplified one, it would kinda ruin the theory that pickups can play a big part in the tone of a steel, wouldn't it? Wink

How many times have you heard someone say..."I changed the pickup, and the tone improved substantially!"

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

I find that the pickup makes a significant, not enormous, difference, only with regard to high frequency content.

I quite recently changed the pickup in two of my steels for the first time. In one guitar, the original pickup is a single-coil with relatively low DC resistance and a quite narrow cross section of the coil. The guitar had a very pleasing sound generally, but high notes sounded thin and shrill, to my ears--to the point where I thought about selling the guitar. I replaced the pickup with a BL 710, and now the guitar sounds very similar, except the high notes now sound good to me as well--at the expense of a little "clarity" in the lower range, but the trade-off is worth it.

Conversely, I also replaced the pickup on a very full, warm-sounding LDG with a 710, because the original pickup was microphonic enough that the mechanical noise coming through was excessive, and am less happy with the sound now, as the 710 is rolling off highs that were well-balanced with the Sho-Bud pickup. So there I'm going to have Jerry Wallace rewind the original and put it back on.

But to bring this back to the topic, the Sho-Bud sounds fuller and less bright acoustically than the other guitar, and that relationship carries through to their amplified sounds, no matter which pickup on which guitar. That is, the Sho-Bud is less bright with its single-coil than the other guitar with its 710.

Micky Byrne · From: United Kingdom (deceased)

Hi Billy, the first time I visited a specialist steel shop which had identical steels alongside was in the early 80's when I visited a pedal steel only shop in Minneapolis. Of course there was the Sho-Bud shop in U.K. and Eric Snowball's steel mill in Maidstone, but they rarely had "identical" steels lined up together. I accoustically strummed across the steels in that shop in Minneapolis and they all sounded different. Some would "ring" some wouldn't. Years ago I had a tutor video of Telecaster master Gerry Donohue, and he mentioned that if he picks up a guitar in a shop and it doesn't "ring" accoustically, then he just doesn't bother with plugging it into an amp. I think to a great extent this would also apply to a pedal steel, it's all down to the torque on the screws on the undercarriage, changer etc, and the cuts of wood that make a difference Smile

say hi to Ann....I'm on the mend at last Wink

Micky Byrne United Kingdom www.micky-byrne.co.uk

Ward Skinner · From: Mission, TX * R.I.P.

I'm of the opinion that amplified instruments that sound good acoustically are keepers.

There's been one comment here about holding the leg, strumming and feeling the vibrations. And I've seen other references to doing this. Don't know if it works, but I thought I would try that today. Did my Rains, then Zum, lastly the Carter which shocked me at how strong and long the vibrations were compared to the other two. No comments about tone, too subjective.

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: